


Reconcile

by Nanamoe



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-17 11:39:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17559704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nanamoe/pseuds/Nanamoe
Summary: Hope lives on in this world ravished by despair. Makoto Naegi and his friends have been sent by a Future Foundation head to secretly meet with the Remnants of Despair and their mysterious leader, who supposedly seek redemption for their sins. However, both sides are keeping secrets that, if left in the dark, could undo all the progress made in quelling the Tragedy, plunging the world into endless despair once more.





	Reconcile

**Author's Note:**

> Letting you know now that this story mostly follows and will contain spoilers for the main Danganronpa plotline. However, while the base plot-line is followed I will be altering pretty much all of the events to fit with my original ideas. Also, I won't be attempting to stick to a strict update schedule. With writing being something I do in my free time between University and personal commitments I really only have the weekend to do so. On top of that I currently have four other works in development too, so while it may not be this story something should be updated every couple of weeks or so.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments and reviews, spam and general bashing will not be tolerated, however, I am open to constructive criticism as this is the first time I've undertaken a commitment like this. As such while I try to spend a good amount of time editing I am aware that there is every possibility that my writing may be hard to understand, I have missed something/made a mistake/it isn't explained correctly or the story doesn't flow well, do let me know if you find anything like this. I will do my best to respond to comments and reviews too. 
> 
> And finally, please enjoy :)
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Danganronpa franchise

The faint hum of the elevator was the only noise that dared cut through the silence enveloping them. Makoto would have thought the working elevator a miracle considering the state of the building if he didn’t know of the skills of the individuals lounging around back on the ground floor. The stairs weren’t so lucky, the damage they had suffered had left large sections unstable or missing completely. There was no way they were climbable in their current state.

Besides, even if they were in better condition Makoto wasn’t sure he’d be able to climb all the way to the floor they were headed to without collapsing. 

_“Why are they up this high, so distant from the rest of the remnants?”_

He thought about asking Kyouko, even turning to do so, but the look on her face kept him quiet. She seemed to be having just as much of an internal debate as he’d been having. Disturbing her now would only mean he would suffer later on. Turning back to stare at the control pad, he watched the numbers on the display continue to tick over as they continued their ascent, each withdrawn in the muteness of deep contemplation. 

_51…52…53_ , with that the elevator jolted to a stop. Their ride had taken less than a minute but with the thoughts weighing on his mind it had felt like much longer to Makoto. The elevator doors ground open, revealing a hallway long abandoned by humanity. 

Bloodstains and scorch marks were generously scattered down the hall with fallen rubble, weapons and human remains moved to the side so that it was still traversable. Makoto had no prior recollection of the building thanks to Junko’s memory wipe but nevertheless, appearances like this had become an all too familiar sight for him since joining the Future Foundation. 

He had been informed of what happened during the Tragedy along with the other survivors from his class, from the Parade of the reserve course students to the slaughter of the Main course students, culminating with the reserve course’s mass suicide. His class were believed to be the only surviving Main course students up until the other members of Ultimate Despair revealed themselves, bringing chaos and despair to the world. 

Those same people were now the ones waiting downstairs, the ones Makoto was hoping to help return to their previous selves, before Junko’s influence had warped their minds and ensnared their hearts. 

Having taken the sight in, he saw that Kyouko had left him to dawdle and was already a good distance down the hall. He had just about caught up to her, nearly tripping over rubble a few times, when she stopped in a doorway that seemed to have escaped the whirlwind of violence that had once swept through the building. Inside, they found the room was in near perfect condition, the only apparent damage being the blown-out windows. The desks were slightly disturbed but seemed to all be in one piece, the floor and walls were also clean and tidy. 

All in all, it would be easy to mistake for a normal classroom bar the state of the windows, if it weren’t for the tall, mysterious figure with long dark hair whose presence dominated the room. 

He acknowledged their presence with a simple “Enter,” not turning at all from staring at the flower vase on the desk in front of him. Normally he would have had a bit more pep in his step, but Makoto was too on edge to be upbeat, trying to ignore the negative atmosphere that threatened to subdue him should he give it the chance. 

It didn’t help that the one word the mysterious figure uttered carried so much power, yet lacked any sort of emotion. 

“Izuru Kamukura,” Kyouko began, finally speaking after being quiet for the whole mission so far, “a leader of Ultimate Despair and the killer of the Hope’s Peak student council, an event that instigated the Tragedy. We’ve come alone as promised, now it is time for you to uphold your end of the deal." 

The room was silent for a moment before Kamukura spoke, not moving from his position by the vase. 

“Your assertion was different to what I predicted, yet it bores me all the same. I am aware that your knowledge of me comes from the Future Foundation, you would do well to not trust everything they tell you. Now, I have gathered the remnants, I assume the project is ready?” 

Kyouko was about to respond when Makoto felt the urge to butt in. 

“Um, I don’t mean to get off topic, but what was wrong with what Kyouko said? Are the Future Foundation really lying to us?” 

The room was silent save a sigh from Kyouko. 

“Naïve as ever Makoto, there is obviously a good chance that we were lied to, you should never rule that possibility out. As for the potential falsifications in my statement, there is no other way to discover them without Kamukura corroborating it. Whatever discrepancies exist between our statements are most likely the fabrications of the Future Foundation. As for the project, it is complete enough that by the time we arrive it will be fully functional.” 

Her lecture over, Kyouko spun back to face their statuesque acquaintance. 

“So, Kamukura, I don’t take you to be the lying type, care to tell us the truth?” 

With this, Kamukura finally turned to look at them. His piercing red eyes and straight face weren’t as intimidating as Makoto first thought. While Kamukura certainly had an air of authority and dominance, close up as they were now, he really did seem like a normal, albeit emotionless, person. Someone who had seen enough of the world to lose all interest and sympathy he could possibly have for it. 

An intimidating or apathetic Kamukura, Makoto wasn’t sure which was more daunting. 

“This conversation is pointless, whether you know the truth or not is inconsequential. However, for the sake of cooperation I shall indulge you.” 

He gave them no chance to prepare, launching straight into a monologue so devoid of feeling that it put Galoogle's text-to-speech to shame. 

“Enoshima found me during the Steering Committee’s testing phase. We shared the same talent of Ultimate Analysis, with which comes incessant boredom. She herself was a boring individual, as was her sister, but amidst our conversation she promised that she found despair to be unpredictable, something that could make me feel real emotion, and that possibility interested me. I decided to observe how her plan progressed, to see if she was correct. Enoshima orchestrated the Student Council killing game to frame me as a murderer, prompting the start of the Parade.” 

With this, Makoto interrupted before Kamukura could continue, perplexed as to what he was getting at. 

“Wait, so you didn’t kill them?” 

Both Kamukura and Kyouko were looking at him now, one with a hint of annoyance and the other with a blank expression that Makoto was starting to think was a permanent feature.

“I just went through this Makoto, the only way for us to discover what of the Future Foundation’s information is truth and what is fiction is to listen to Kamukura’s side of the story…” 

_“Yeah, she’s miffed alright.”_

“…with that said, please continue.” Kyouko finished, diverting her attention back to Kamukura, who still showed no signs of irritation. 

“To answer your question, no, I did not kill them, my involvement was limited to acting in self-defence when required. Enoshima had acquired personal information pertaining to each of the council members, prompting them to turn on each other after Ikusaba shot the most outspoken of the members vocally refusing to participate...” 

An uneasy feeling was welling up inside Makoto, the way Kamukura spoke about what was likely a bloodbath so nonchalantly didn’t sit right with him. He thought about interrupting again but between the impassive Kamukura and the reserved Kyouko his qualms would fall on deaf ears. Trying to suppress the rising queasiness, he continued to listen. 

“…The game ended as I expected, with all but one of the council dead. The survivor was later murdered by the Ultimate Neurologist to cover for Enoshima. I had thought this outcome would bore me, yet it showed a small glimmer of what I sought, enough for me to continue my association with her. The boy I knocked back was decapitated by the chainsaw they wielded, yet in their despair managed to draw a pistol and fire once from behind me before expiring. The distance was enough that even I could not completely avoid it, and I was left with a small cut along the side of my face. This… intriguing revelation soon led to my involvement in the next stage of Enoshima’s plan.” 

Kamukura paused for a moment, turning back to the desk with the vase. Makoto thought little of it until he began again, still facing the vase. 

“As I said before, Enoshima orchestrated the beginning of the Parade by revealing my existence to the Reserve Course, framing me as the supposed killer of the council. This did not concern me, for there was nothing the talentless could do to me. Before the Parade began, she came across the Ultimate Animator. Using their talent, she constructed a brainwashing video to secure her hold on the Reserve Course, nothing I didn’t see coming. Ever since the shot that grazed me, she was yet to provide anything else to convince me of the unpredictability of despair…” 

His shift in demeanour was subtle, revealing nothing to the less observant Makoto, but Kyouko had spent enough time observing people to catch it, to see that Kamukura was becoming… agitated? 

“…Her next target was the 77th class, the ones you saw on the ground floor. At the time, they were under the tutelage of another Future Foundation member and remnant of despair, the one who sent you here today. Enoshima inserted herself into each of their lives individually, exploiting their weaknesses and weakening their resolve. Come the end most of the class had all but succumbed to her manipulation, while one had been converted to despair. This set the final stage, where the rest would be converted. It was also the stage where I finally encountered something else that intrigued me.” Kamukura continued to monologue, the tension in the air growing by the second. 

Compared to the stoic individual they had first walked in on, the Kamukura who stood before them now had caught them completely off guard. 

“The teacher came to rescue two students, one of whom had come across Enoshima’s base of operations on school grounds thanks to his luck, with the other accompanying him. She stayed behind to protect their escape but was ambushed by Ikusaba, who had returned from her duel against the swordswoman, who the lucky student had asked to delay her. Upon returning to their class, the whole class decided to attempt to rescue Yukizome, who by this point unbeknownst to them had been forcibly converted to despair. They were doomed to fail, and fell into Enoshima’s trap, locked in one of her courtrooms surrounded by monitors, yet one still stood against her, refusing to give in. Enoshima had different plans for…” 

He stopped as abruptly as he had started. One hand was gripping the desk he was leaning on tight enough for his nails to leave indents, the other was inching its way up from his side. Makoto was about to call out to ask if he was ok, surprised at what he saw, but Kyouko’s gloved hand shot up to cover his mouth, her stare conveying what went unsaid. 

_**Don’t make yourself a target.**_

They watched in silence as Kamukura’s agitated state drew on. His hand was now level with the pocket on his suit-jacket, fingers poised at the opening. He slipped his hand in, and after a few seconds all the tension and turmoil seemed to leave his body. Without withdrawing his hand, he turned back to Makoto and Kyouko. 

“There is no point in continuing. I will join you momentarily on the ground floor, you may leave now.” 

Makoto had a lot of questions, but Kamukura’s statement felt much more like a command. Kyouko was already on the way out, so after a moment of hesitation he left the once again expressionless Kamukura to follow her. 

The elevator ride back down was just as quiet as the one on the way up. Kyouko gave nothing away, but over the last two years they had grown close enough for Makoto to know that she was stewing behind her mask. Not because they had been lied to, she already said she suspected that, but probably because of just how much had been lies. Mentioning it now though would only serve to further irritate her, so like a good boyfriend he kept his mouth shut. 

Exiting the elevator, Kyouko contacted Byakuya to let him know that things were going smooth on their end, and that it was time to bring the ‘borrowed’ troop carrier around. They then made their way back to the open area where they had left the remnants, only to come across a sight that even managed to leave Kyouko ruffled.

The remnants were all waiting near the entryway where Kamukura somehow stood nonchalantly, as if they hadn’t left him over fifty floors up mere minutes ago. He seemed preoccupied with some kind of handheld device as they approached, only putting it away when they were a few feet away. 

_“Was that what we couldn’t see before?”_  
He spoke before either could question him on it.  


“I have told them what is going to happen, once transport to the boat arrives, they will follow you without hesitation. They are to be onboard before I arrive. They will separate themselves into pairs upon arrival, and I advise you do not try to change that. Do not put them in the hold either, put them in normal cabins. Whether each pair has a separate room or you put multiple pairs in each is up to you, they will make do with what you choose. 

Still on edge from before, Kyouko stepped forward before addressing him. 

“What makes you think we’re travelling by ship?” 

“The project is a large-scale investment for the Future Foundation, so much so that many officials were likely against it. The second-in-command would not have looked kindly on a method of eliminating despair that doesn’t involve the termination of the subjects either. As such while the technical work may be done at Foundation offices the physical setup of the project will be somewhere secluded or abandoned, likely a combination of the two as it leaves the lowest chance of discovery. There are only a few places left in the world that would accomplish this. Yukizome had us meet here, meaning that the location is likely close to here, narrowing the options further. You also have a large group to transport rather than only a few people, meaning that longer distances would be made more difficult, so again, it is likely close by. A shorter distance also reduces the chance of detection by the Foundation. The only locations near here that would cover those criteria are islands off the coast, meaning either air or water transit, both well within the capacity of the Foundation’s resources. You are wary of them, which is fuelled by your natural cautiousness. You would not risk being trapped on a plane with them, where one wrong move could bring it down, so you settled on transit by ship, which still carries some risk but is the safer of the two options.” 

The lack of emotion in his voice may have led some to believe that there was no confidence in his words but Kyouko knew that he spoke with nothing but certainty, all she could do was drop the matter. 

Makoto meanwhile was so stunned by Kamukura’s deduction that he nearly missed a key detail. 

“You said that they should be onboard before you arrive, where are you going?” 

Those blood-red eyes bore into him as Kamukura responded. 

“There is one other condition that is non-negotiable, what it is you will find out soon enough, for you will be coming with me.” 

“What?” 

Makoto was once again taken aback as Kyouko momentarily stiffened beside him, seemingly just as shocked as he was. Her usual demeanour quickly returned however as she asserted herself before Kamukura. 

“You assume that I’m just going to let this happen. How do I know you aren’t trying to separate us to make killing us easier?” 

“If I had wanted, I could have thrown you both out the classroom before you had a chance to react, I have no intent to harm him, we simply require his assistance.” 

Still not convinced, Kyouko pressed the matter further. 

“What do you need his assistance for? I would prefer that Makoto takes the remnants to the ship while I assist you instead so that I can keep an eye on you.” 

“This argument is pointless, you cannot go where I am headed, he can.” 

The tension between the two was steadily growing, even if it was admittedly one-sided. Makoto thought it best to jump in before it went downhill. 

“Hey Kyouko, relax, I’m sure it will be fine. I just need to go with him and then we can meet up back at the ship. You said it yourself before, he doesn’t seem like the type to lie about things.” 

The silence was agonizing, Kyouko seemed to be mulling it over while Kamukura was as blank as ever. He hoped he had said enough, he didn’t want to have to mention his execution to get her to relent, he knew she still felt guilty about that and she was on edge enough from being outmanoeuvred twice in less than ten minutes. 

The silence drew on.  
And on.  
_“Please say yes.”_

Standing there with a forced smile, Makoto couldn’t take it much longer. He was thinking about saying more when Kyouko finally relented.

“Fine, on one condition though...” Kyouko pulled a phone out from her pocket. “…I get to track his location so that I at least know where you are at all times until you re-join us.” 

“Acceptable. Now, I believe your transportation has arrived…” Kamukura was not fazed in the slightest by Kyouko’s demand, responding in that same calm manner as always. Turning to Makoto, he continued. “…We will wait until they have left, make yourself comfortable if you so wish.” 

Makoto sat down on an overturned pillar, watching as Kyouko led the remnants out to where Byakuya had pulled up. He caught her glancing back a couple of times and gave her a soft smile when they locked eyes, which she returned with a smile of her own. 

A small sense of accomplishment washed over him, as getting such an expressive reaction out of Kyouko was a rare occurrence, even in their private moments back at their apartment in the 14th division headquarters was it difficult. 

With the remnants all seated in the back of the troop carrier Kyouko headed for the front, greeting Byakuya with a small nod as she climbed into one of the passenger seats next to him. 

“Where’s Naegi?" 

It was safe to say Byakuya was not amused when Kyouko told him of the arrangement, pinching the bridge of his nose, Byakuya snapped back. 

“You left Naegi with him?” 

“I didn’t have much of a choice. He never said it, but he probably would have called the whole arrangement off had I refused.” 

“And you decided that this arrangement was more important than Naegi’s safety? Hmph, it seems his idiotic optimism is rubbing off on you. You really think Gekkougahara’s project will work?” 

“I trust it to complete its objective. Part of it was Fujisaki’s work too, and look what Alter Ego has done for us.” 

“Hmph.” 

Byakuya was too tired to continue arguing the matter, courtesy of his morning ‘stretching’ routine with Genocider, so the ride to the ship was quiet. Kyouko was thankful for this as it let her sort out her thoughts and focus on watching Makoto’s location, they had just started moving, still located on school grounds. They seemed to be headed in the direction of the old statue of Kamukura’s namesake, the original headmaster of Hope’s Peak. 

_“But for what reason...?”_

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

“So why couldn’t Kyouko come with us?” 

Continuing down the path with Makoto in tow, Kamukura spoke without hesitation. 

“Only hope may walk this road.” 


End file.
